Therapist Consultation and Training for Working With Aging Adults

Therapist Training to help you find the support you need to build a practice full of older adult clientele.

You’ve always been called to work with the older population, or maybe you are considering adding this specialty to your work since you know that Baby Boomers are not being adequately served in our mental health system.

The truth is, this population has unique needs that sometimes feel beyond the scope of your practice. And perhaps you need more training or consultation to be able to make the impact you hope to when working with older adults.

You’re ready to start helping your community address the concerns that come with getting older, to understand their unique needs and grievances, and to learn how to be of service to this population.

When you first imagined becoming a therapist, you thought about all the people you would help. You pictured offering a safe, unbiased place for clients to explore their lives and grow into the people the wanted to be.

You took a lot of time to decide who your preferred population might be, participated in targeted trainings, and earned CEU credits to advance your skills. You felt completely equipped to work with older adults. And when the day came for you to invite this population to work with you, you beamed with pride. You’d been ready for this for a long time and you opened the doors to a practice you could be proud of.

But here you are, just a few short months after you started serving your niche and your practice is struggling.

Every day at the office is a blur. You’re drowning in Medicare paperwork, you are weeks behind in billing, and you gave up marketing long ago. It feels like everything you envisioned about your practice is slowly slipping away.

In fact, you are not sure what they are talking about Medicare, Medicare Advantage Plan. MIPS, PQRS. It’s a maze and you feel it is so complicated that it doesn’t seem like it is worth the bother. “I can’t even figure out what I am going to get paid.” Is often a refrain I hear. Many therapists are fearful of the Medicare process and have heard horror stories about what can happen.

That’s not to say you thought serving the aging population would be easy. Older adults face more change and more crises than many other client demographics. But you never wanted a purposeless practice. In fact, you want the opposite. A way to make meaning of your training and to use your skills for a group of people you’re truly passionate about. You know there will be days that are more difficult than others, but you want to be the clinician who is an expert in their field.

What you didn’t expect was how integrated the care for older adults needs to be. You never predicted how many medical professionals you’d have to coordinate with. You had no idea the amount of work a single Medicare client required outside of session. And you certainly didn’t expect to doubt your ability to be truly helpful to the clients who came to see you.

So Here You Are.:

The overworked therapist, the stressed-out therapist, the failing therapist, the unhelpful therapist.

You realized it the other day…

You were in session with a client who was getting lost coming to your office after coming for a few months, or you received a call from a family member that was worried about her mother who has begun to have multiple falls. Sometimes clients will come in worrying about that cognitive functioning. What is normal?

You had many questions that you wish you had some more specific guidance dealing with.

You Told Yourself:

“I can’t believe I’m in a situation where I don’t feel like a competent therapist.”

“I should be more equipped and prepared to handle difficult cases.”

“I thought I was ready for anything to come up in session, but clearly I’m wrong.”

“I’m a terrible therapist for not knowing how to manage my clients’ care.”

But when rationality crept in, when you came out of your panic, you admitted to yourself:

“I think I need some consultation and training to improve my practice.”

You heard you couldn’t see Medicare patients since you were a LPC but heard some clinicians did, but you didn’t know the protocol.

There is a protocol to see clients if you cannot be a Medicare provider.

You’ve made every effort to build a practice serving older adults, but when you’re honest with yourself

You’re overwhelmed with everything required to serve this population.

You were not prepared for the unique challenges that aging adults deal with. You truly thought you’d sail through this type of work, but you’re sure now that you are taking on cases that are beyond your scope and abilities.

It’s hard to admit that your current training is not enough to help you have a thriving practice of older adults. Serving this clientele is undoubtedly the most difficult thing you’ve ever tried to do. When you have tried to find information, it is all over the map and very few trainings are available for working with the older adult population that is so underserved by mental health professionals.

But the truth is, a lot of therapists have trouble switching to this demographic. It doesn’t mean you aren’t capable or qualified. You are not the only clinician to feel trapped in the Medicare maze or to be taken aback by the demands of clients who are struggling emotionally, mentally, and physically at the same time. I see this every day in my work training therapists to work with older adults. The key to making this type of practice work is matching your passion for your clients with the savviness and knowhow to navigate they system.

You’re ready to be of service to those you’re passionate about. You’re ready to learn how to have a thriving practice for aging adults.

When You Seek Therapist Training with Coaching Aging Adults

You will believe in your ability to work within the Medicare system.

You will gain an understanding of how to find the local resources and what services are available for the older adults in your area.

You will learn the best practices to counsel the older demographic, so sessions are productive and fulfilling.

You will feel relief knowing it is possible to pursue your passion and make your practice work.

The Therapist Training Process

Therapist Training is intended to help you find the support you need to build a practice full of older adult clientele.

Together, we will examine your practice from both a business and clinical perspective and determine where you need to make improvements. We will also work to gain knowledge/Resources for insurance, social security and any other institutions that will help you help your clients.

There will be online classes in the future that you can take to give you the information to help develop your competency in working with older adults. In addition, there will be the opportunity to join as a member, so you will have ongoing access to the resources that you may use for clients or for yourself to help you be the go to person in your community for Senior Mental Health.

Here’s what to expect:

Together, we will use online information and video materials for education and training purposes. Coaching Aging Adults will also provide articles for supplemental learning and research.

We will also create and work though case examples so that you can begin to apply the information you learn to practical situations.

You will also have the opportunity to join in group supervision sessions to learn from and bounce ideas off of your peers who are also wanting to serve the aging population.

More About Coaching Aging Adults

Coaching Aging Adults is dedicated to giving older adults hope and purpose for their future as well as helping fellow clinicians learn to effectively work with the aging population. Whether you are brand new to your practice or just want to increase your skill with older adults, Coaching Aging Adults is invested in helping therapists become competent.

It is our mission to educate fellow clinicians about normal and healthy aging and to help them build practices that address the unique challenges of growing older such as: disability, health concerns, and dealing with loss.

Who Benefits Most from Therapist Training?

Therapist Training is best for clinicians who are passionate about helping older adults thrive in their later years. Therapist Training helps clinical professionals learn both the business and clinical sides of working with the aging population so that their practices are fully equipped to aid in the healing process.

You will benefit from Therapist Training sessions if:

You feel overwhelmed by all of the service agencies intended to help older adults

You are struggling to attract aging clients because you don’t know how/where to market to them

You are trying your hardest to learn the best practices that work with the older adult population

You are afraid of missing steps, forgetting a resource, or not being able to help your clients in the way they need you

What Does Therapist Training Cost?

Therapist Training is a fee for service program and all forms of payment are accepted.

Classes are currently being developed. Ongoing consultation is available for current licensed clinicians or professionals.

Your Next Steps

It is possible to work with the types of clients you are so passionate about even though they bring unique clinical challenges. You will be able to build a practice that helps older adult clients thrive in a world that’s constantly changing. You will feel purposeful knowing your training and talents are being used in a way that serves the people you care deeply about. Many of your current skills are transferable to working with older adults. Issues of health, aging, ageism in therapy, cohort differentiation, medical and mental health issues, ethics, aging in couples are all areas of potential topics for classes if there is a demand.

Right now, this dream practice feels far off, but that does not mean you can’t build the skills necessary to feel capable and competent as a clinician to aging adults.

Ultimately, working together will help you create a savvy and prepared practice that facilitates growth and healing for the clients you’re proud to serve.

I am hoping that you become as honored as I am to participate in helping older adults age in the best possible way and provide and provide them with solid clinical experiences.

About Coaching Aging Adults

With over 35 years of experience in long-term care, consultation for senior services, and mental health care, Coaching Aging Adults is an older-adult focused, integrative practice that is dedicated to helping Seniors, Baby Boomers, Elders, Older Adults, and the Sandwich Generation and their families navigate the waters of Aging Gracefully with Life Purpose and Passion.